There was a time when Republicans and Democrats generally agreed that access to birth control was a public good. Most saw preventing unwanted pregnancies as key to making abortions rare. Those days are over. The Trump administration is indulging a religious hard right, helping it merge the ...

A few years ago when I was teaching swim lessons, I ran into a rather unusual challenge with one of the swimmers.
Typically, I had a hard time getting kids to put their faces in the water. We’re humans — we don’t have gills — it makes sense. But putting your face in is a very ...

When the temperatures turn cool my thoughts turn to comfort food – Tuna Hot Dish (also known as Tuna Cassserole to those of you who were not raised in Minnesota) and chili.
Tuna Casserole
2 cans tuna
1 (16 oz.) can of peas
1 egg
1 can of cream of celery soup
1 can of onion ...

Throughout the Bible, God suggests that people who have something to protect should build watchtowers. The obvious meaning is there are things in life that need protecting. In Isaiah 5:3 God planted a vineyard (Israel) but it only produced unruly people; that’s not what he intended. This ...

Managing taxpayer dollars is no easy feat. There will always be people unhappy with how the city decides to allot its budget. This week the city council was influenced by those constraints and made a decision to demolish the Senior Citizen’s Center.
The decision was highly contested by some ...

Seated next to President Trump in the Oval Office Tuesday, Nikki Haley did not look like a woman who had tortured herself over whether to resign as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
On television at least, she looked like someone who has a much better deal coming her way early next year. ...

The other day, a woman confessed to me that she’s a Republican.
Republicans may bristle at the verb, but it’s used advisedly. The lady admitted her party affiliation the way you would some personal failing. “I don’t tell a lot of people,” she said, “but . . .”
In fairness, her ...

Confirming Brett Kavanaugh was the best outcome at the end of a hellish decision tree that left the country with no ideal option.
Reasonable people may differ on that. But what seems more obvious: It’s all going to get worse. Because everyone is taking the wrong lessons from the Kavanaugh ...

When in Rome — or Australia, as it were.
My family and I spent the past few weeks traipsing around Down Under, where a children's show pilot I wrote is being turned into a TV series. After a few work meetings, we were off to visit three old Aussie friends I'd kept from when I lived across ...

National Dog Day, which was in late August, right around Ginnie’s birthday, found Buddy a little worse for wear. It has been a bummer summer for the ole Buddy Boy.
First of all, in July, he ate a bunch of dark chocolate that Ginnie had gotten me for my birthday, and spent two nights in an ...

October is the time of year when students of all ages start having difficulty with an assignment or a subject. My advice: don’t give up. Keep trying. There are multitude of self-esteem, monetary and social class rewards for persevering.
An awakening moment occurred in the fall of 1966 when ...

The U.S. stock market suffered from a massive two-day sell-off which began Wednesday morning and continued through Thursday’s close, spreading into the major markets of Europe and Asia as well.
Most analysts attributed the tumble to fears that the escalating trade war with China could ...

My first impression upon meeting Fred Hubbell during his stop in Marshalltown, was that of a down-to-earth, straightforward businessman who treated others with respect. He was all about rolling up his sleeves, getting down to work and getting the job done on behalf of all Iowans. His goals were ...

Have you gotten your flu shot yet? Why not?
Many health care professionals are urging the public — especially those who, because of age or existing health conditions may be more vulnerable to the flu — to get immunized as soon as possible.
They have a very good reason for being worried. ...

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump may be remembered as the most honest president in modern American history.
Don’t get me wrong, Trump lies all the time. He said that he “enacted the biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history” (actually they are the eighth largest) and that “our ...

I disagree with part of the proposed burning ordinance on when burning can be allowed. I think most people in town have enough common sense to know when it is safe to burn and have year round burning. Also the 10 a.m. start time is not good. It should be 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. before any wind may ...

You probably don’t need a reminder that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. After all, pink ribbons are as ubiquitous as pumpkin spice lattes this month. But it never hurts to refresh your understanding of the disease and share with your loved ones.
Breast cancer is the most commonly ...

As a parent, evening “story time” is a process that takes between 10 minutes and four hours, depending on how much negotiating there is. One of my younger one’s newest books looked innocent enough: Classic Fairy Tales. I didn’t realize I was essentially reading Tales from the Crypt. ...

Arguably a contributing factor to the continuation of abortion is that it is performed out of sight and thus, out of many minds.
A film about one of the worst practitioners of abortion, Kermit Gosnell, opens October 12 in at least 600 theaters. Gosnell is the Philadelphia abortionist ...

MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell revved up his Outrage Machine on Friday night once it became apparent that Brett Kavanaugh was going to be confirmed to the Supreme Court. There was a new crime against democracy — or rather, there was a very old crime. It’s called the Senate.
Come again? ...